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A review by emtees
The Cerulean by Amy Ewing
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Sera Lighthaven is a Cerulean, magical beings who live in a City in the sky, linked to the planet below by a tether. It is the nature of the City that eventually it will detach itself from the planet and move on to a new home, and when the time comes for that to happen, Sera is chosen to throw herself from the City to break the tether, a sacrifice that will mean her death. Despite her reluctance, Sera is willing to give up her life to help her people - but instead of dying, she finds herself stranded on the planet below, a prisoner of Xavier McLellan, who believes he can use the magic in her blood to make himself rich. Sera’s only hope for survival and getting home is in her mysterious magic, and in the friendship of Xavier’s daughter, Agnes, a rebel who dreams of being a scientist. Meanwhile, Agnes’s brother, Leo, is torn between his desire to impress his stern father and the pull he feels towards Sera, and back in the City, Sera’s friend Leela uncovers a conspiracy that may explain why Sera survived and what she is really meant to do.
There are three things that really work about this book. One is the world - it is unique and full of cool concepts, from the City in the Sky to magic of the Ceruleans to the creatures Sera finds on the planet. The connection between the City and the various cultures of the planet is slowly teased out over this story, though a lot of questions are left open for the sequel. The second strength is that, while the characters, relationships and plot beats are not wildly original, they are all executed very well. Sera is a likable heroine, Leo as the obvious love interest is on a strong character journey, and I really loved both Agnes, the nerdy scientist determined to break away from the sexist strictures of her world, and Leela, Sera’s friend who takes up the job of figuring out the City’s mysteries because Sera is gone and there’s no one else to do it. And then the third is the friendships: while there are romances brewing in the background in this book, the best connections are the platonic ones, whether it’s the devotion between Leela and Sera or the prickly sibling relationship between Leo and Agnes. I really liked a fantasy book that emphasized the importance of these other relationships.
There were a couple things that were a little… odd, I thought. Not bad at all, but I’m not sure they really worked for me and I’m waiting for the sequel to be sure. Particularly the handling of sexuality and queerness in these books The City has an all-female population (they reproduce asexually, though there is some mystery around that) and the social norm is for women to form romantic triads. Sera feels like an outsider because she’s never been attracted to anyone - but when she lands on the planet and meets boys for the first time, she discovers that the weird thing about her is that… she’s straight. So it’s basically a coming out type story, but for a straight girl. I have to admit, while I get what the author was going for with this reversal, it wouldn’t have worked for me if the story didn’t also have Agnes, a lesbian in a more familiar environment who is going through her own journey.
This book is the first half of a duology and it very much feels like one. Though it has a nice climax, it’s not really a full story on its own and very little is resolved or explained. You definitely want to pick up both books so you can go on the second one immediately.
There are three things that really work about this book. One is the world - it is unique and full of cool concepts, from the City in the Sky to magic of the Ceruleans to the creatures Sera finds on the planet. The connection between the City and the various cultures of the planet is slowly teased out over this story, though a lot of questions are left open for the sequel. The second strength is that, while the characters, relationships and plot beats are not wildly original, they are all executed very well. Sera is a likable heroine, Leo as the obvious love interest is on a strong character journey, and I really loved both Agnes, the nerdy scientist determined to break away from the sexist strictures of her world, and Leela, Sera’s friend who takes up the job of figuring out the City’s mysteries because Sera is gone and there’s no one else to do it. And then the third is the friendships: while there are romances brewing in the background in this book, the best connections are the platonic ones, whether it’s the devotion between Leela and Sera or the prickly sibling relationship between Leo and Agnes. I really liked a fantasy book that emphasized the importance of these other relationships.
There were a couple things that were a little… odd, I thought. Not bad at all, but I’m not sure they really worked for me and I’m waiting for the sequel to be sure. Particularly the handling of sexuality and queerness in these books
This book is the first half of a duology and it very much feels like one. Though it has a nice climax, it’s not really a full story on its own and very little is resolved or explained. You definitely want to pick up both books so you can go on the second one immediately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism